This past weekend, I had the opportunity to take an hour long flight to Bethel, Alaska for a New Teacher Training seminar. Bethel is where our district office is located and is a "big town" compared to Kipnuk. It has a movie theater, hospital, restaurants, grocery store and a hotel! It was so nice to have meals that I did not have to make myself. During New Teacher Training, the school district provides breakfast and lunch and I have to get dinner on my own. For lunch, they had a burrito bar and a baked potato bar. The first night I arrived, I went to the hotel restaurant and got a strawberry milkshake. Not the healthiest dinner, but it was the first time I've had ice cream since August! And I LOVE ice cream! The second night, I ordered a sesame chicken meal from the same restaurant. It was wonderful to eat that while watching TV in my hotel room. The last night in Bethel, I ordered a BLT and french fries from Sam's Restaurant. They delivered it right to my hotel room. I used to take restaurants and delivery for granted, but now that I am living without them in Kipnuk, I really appreciate the convenience.
While I was in Bethel, it snowed! It was the first true snowfall as it stayed on the ground and didn't melt quickly. I will say that it was quite beautiful when we were flying and could see the snow-covered tundra from above. This is just the beginning of the snow to come and I am ready for the cold season with lots of all-weather gear. It is dark now from 7:30 at night to 10:00 in the morning.
